As for the last man, he was slightly older—around twenty-seven or twenty-eight—with a strikingly long face. His chin was lifted high, eyes half-rolled upward, his expression filled with undisguised contempt. With a mocking tone, he said,

  “Junior Brother Yun Han, you’ve been in seclusion for quite some time, so you may not know. Recently, the biggest joke within the Xuanshuang Sect has been exactly as Junior Sister Xu said—and all thanks to this fellow here. This Yun Che only managed to become an inner disciple through such disgraceful, underhanded means.”

  Hearing this, the last trace of doubt in Yun Han’s heart vanished, replaced by deeper disdain and a swelling sense of superiority. He laughed loudly.

  “You really startled me earlier! So this is how you sneaked in? With your so-called ‘lowest-tier’ aptitude, you won’t even touch the edge of the first level of Qi Condensation in this lifetime! Why cling to this place and humiliate yourself, dragging the Yun family’s name through the mud?”

  “Junior Brother Yun Han, that may be somewhat unfair.”

  The Zhou-surnamed woman’s eyes shifted slightly, her voice gentle like flowing water.

  “Talent is important, yes—but temperament and perseverance are the true foundation of cultivation. Immortal cultivation goes against the heavens themselves. Without an unyielding will, even the most gifted will struggle to achieve greatness.”

  “But Senior Brother Yun isn’t wrong either!”

  The Xu-surnamed girl immediately moved closer to Yun Han, seizing the chance to support him. She glanced at Yun Che as she spoke.

  “Just look at Yun Che—dull and slow. There’s not a shred of a cultivator’s aura about him. He doesn’t look like one of us at all.”

  At that moment, everything became clear to Yun Che.

  Yun Han clearly admired Senior Sister Zhou. The Xu girl, on the other hand, was fond of Yun Han—and her earlier remarks were likely driven by a young girl’s jealousy and desire to show off. As for the horse-faced man, he was probably either Yun Han’s hanger-on or merely enjoying the spectacle.

  The corner of Yun Che’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, forming something between a smile and a sneer.

  That subtle expression only further irritated Yun Han. He snorted coldly, his tone threatening.

  “Yun Che, I advise you to know your place and leave the Xuanshuang Sect on your own. Otherwise, when the inner disciples’ competition comes at year’s end, with your frail body, stepping onto the arena means either death—or crippling injury!”

  Yun Che had heard occasional complaints from Sun Dazhu: every year-end, inner disciples underwent an assessment competition. The winners received rewards such as magical artifacts and pills.

  The competition had two tiers—one for all inner disciples vying for the top ten, and another for newly inducted disciples competing for the title of Rookie Champion.

  He lifted his eyes casually, his tone calm and indifferent.

  “Why should it concern you whether I’m crippled or dead?”

  A flash of cold light passed through Yun Han’s eyes. He sneered.

  “I was merely offering advice out of familial goodwill. Since you refuse it, don’t blame me for showing no mercy in the competition!”

  He deliberately emphasized the final words.

  From childhood, Yun Han had despised Second Uncle’s branch of the family. Though he had met them only a few times, his father Yun Tianhai had drilled into him repeatedly that Yun Chengshan had once deceived their grandfather with honeyed words, stealing property meant for the main branch and humiliating his father in the process.

  Only thanks to the clan elders’ sense of justice, he had been told, was the property eventually reclaimed.

  In Yun Han’s mind, Yun Che and his father were stains upon the family.

  Like father, like son—how could the child be any better?

  Though he later sensed his father’s story might not be entirely true, Yun Han’s arrogance was already deeply ingrained. Even his own father sometimes displeased him—let alone others.

  “You’re… actually relatives?”

  The Xu girl covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Senior Sister Zhou and the horse-faced man also showed mild astonishment.

  Seeing Yun Han’s darkened expression, the Xu girl quickly adopted a caring demeanor and spoke softly,

  “Senior Brother Yun, don’t be angry. He simply doesn’t understand your good intentions—he’s foolish. You’re thinking for his sake, seeing farther than he ever could. When he suffers later, he’ll understand your wisdom today. Every family has one or two useless relatives—no one can compare to someone as outstanding as you. I understand. You’re just disappointed that he refuses to improve, right?”

  Yun Han’s face flushed red, then pale. He glared at her fiercely, momentarily unsure whether she was helping him—or mocking him in disguise.

  At last, Yun Che let out a soft laugh. He nodded toward Yun Han, his tone carrying a trace of sudden realization.

  “So that’s how it is. Yun Han, it seems I truly misunderstood you before. I’ll remember this… kindness of yours. Thank you for the reminder.”

  Just then, the wooden door of the pill-forging hall creaked open.

  A sturdy, sharp-eyed youth poked his head out—it was Yun Feng.

  He stepped outside, deliberately clearing his throat to draw attention. With a look of petty authority, he announced loudly,

  “The Qi-Gathering Pills are not yet finished. Please wait here a while longer, senior brothers and sisters. Once my master completes the refinement, I’ll call you in one by one.”

  Yun Han glared at Yun Feng, grinding his teeth—but dared not act.

  Yun Feng was now an attendant under the Third Senior Brother of the pill hall, managing daily affairs. Offending him could easily mean trouble when collecting monthly spirit stones and pills. It wasn’t worth it over a few words.

  After speaking, Yun Feng scanned the courtyard. When he spotted Yun Che in the corner, his eyes lit up. A genuine smile spread across his face as he hurried over, grabbing Yun Che’s arm and pulling him aside.

  “Stone-ge! I heard you became an inner disciple—congratulations!”

  He lowered his voice excitedly.

  “I’ve heard everything about you already. I wanted to find you sooner, but this place is tightly guarded. Don’t take their nonsense to heart. One day when we succeed in cultivation, we’ll make those blind fools see!”

  Warmth stirred faintly in Yun Che’s heart.

  “Thank you, Yun Feng,” he said softly.

  Yun Feng sighed, guilt flickering across his face as he lowered his voice further.

  “At the family banquet, I wanted to speak up for you… but my father’s look stopped me. Stone-ge, don’t blame me…”

  Yun Che shook his head calmly.

  “It’s in the past. No need to mention it. I just want to cultivate in peace and break through to the first level of Qi Condensation.”

  Yun Feng’s eyes darted around. Seeing no one paying attention, he swiftly pulled a small paper packet from his robe and slipped it into Yun Che’s hand, blinking hard.

  At that moment, a cold, impatient voice came from inside the pill hall.

  “Attendant! Why aren’t you back yet? The fire’s about to disperse!”

  “Coming, coming! Please wait, Master!”

  Yun Feng responded loudly, mouthing ‘Keep it safe’ to Yun Che before sprinting back inside.

  Without changing expression, Yun Che closed his fingers within his sleeve. The cool, smooth sensation told him there were three or four round pills. Understanding immediately, he stored them quietly in his pouch.

  Ignoring the others’ gazes, he walked to a clean stone step in the courtyard, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began regulating his breath.

  The others reacted differently.

  The horse-faced man glanced at Yun Che in mild surprise, finding him interesting, and sat down as well to meditate. Yun Han suppressed his displeasure, adopting a gentle expression as he resumed speaking softly with Senior Sister Zhou. The Xu girl hovered nearby—sometimes chiming in, sometimes glaring at Yun Han in frustration, or shooting disdainful looks toward Yun Che.

  Time slipped by. Night fell completely, and a bright moon climbed high into the sky.

  The pill hall door opened again. Yun Feng emerged, fatigue evident on his face, holding a wooden tray.

  On it lay five monthly rations: five fingernail-sized fragments of low-grade spirit stones glowing faintly, and five longan-sized, crystal-clear Qi-Gathering Pills emitting a subtle medicinal fragrance.

  The group stepped forward one by one to receive their share. Yun Che was last.

  As he took his portion, his gaze met Yun Feng’s. Yun Feng nodded ever so slightly, encouragement shining in his eyes.

  Yun Che cupped his fists in silent thanks and turned away, walking out of the courtyard beneath the cool moonlight.

  Standing at the doorway, Yun Feng watched Yun Che’s figure fade into the night. He let out a soft breath and murmured,

  “Stone-ge… the road ahead is long. These three Qi-Gathering Pills are all I can help you with for now. Take care.”

  Yun Che held that small yet heavy gift close to his chest. The night wind was cool as he walked back toward the auxiliary courtyard of the Body-Tempering Hall.

  The faint flame in his heart burned a little brighter, a little warmer—kindled by this timely kindness.

  The road ahead remained perilous, cold stares still awaited him.

  But at least now, he knew he was not entirely alone.

  This kindness—he would remember it.

  Yun Che may be weak now, but this chapter plants something far more important than strength.

  And do you think those extra Qi-Gathering Pills will change Yun Che’s fate?